Sunday, February 27, 2011

Today was the launch party for Haven by Kristi Cook at The Voracious Reader. The store was packed! Goodies were served (petit fours, punch, even sushi!), swag given out and the bookstore had the same welcoming atmosphere that I remembered from last time. If you are ever in Larchmont, NY, I urge you to visit.

After Kristi chatted with people, she read an excerpt from Haven. She made sure to thank her family, her editor Jennifer Klonsky from Simon Pulse, and the bloggers who attended from all over. Kristi mentioned that bloggers were her cheerleaders and really appreciated them. We appreciate you too Kristi! Writers who are so approachable are important for many reasons. So please keep writing! I haven't read Haven yet, but I've been hearing positive feedback. I'm looking forward to it for several reasons, one of them being that it takes place in the Hudson Valley!

Scroll down for a few pictures and giveaway.

Kristi and me.

Good Choice Reading Bloggers with Kristi Cooke

To Celebrate Kristi's launch, I'm giving away a signed copy of her book Haven.

To Enter:

Please tell me if you could have one psychic ability what would it be?

Friday, February 25, 2011

This meme is hosted by Crazy-For-Books. Please click the button above to check out the complete rules.

This week's question: Did you ever wish you had named your blog something different?

Answer: No Way! It has to do with a nickname and things I love, so I'm pretty happy with it. I did search to make sure no one had anything too similar because I wanted it to be original as well.

However, I absolutely love seeing all the other book blog names out there and how they play on literary words or how they too are personal for that particular blogger. I also love seeing how the theme of the blog is incorporated into the blog elements, like the rating system, the sidebar and features.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Welcome to the first installment of Vampires at Midnyte - A collaboration, a discussion, a dialogue, between two bloggers - Angie at Vampires at Tofu and myself, Midnyte Reader.

Today we are discussing:

Title/Author: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa.

Genre: YA/Fantasy.

Favorite quote:
MR: “I am a cat.” –Grimalkin (same favorite quote as in The Iron Daughter). “I don’t see how you mortals do it, these feelings you must endure.” –The Oracle.
V&T: Agreed!! Grim is right behind Meghan as my favorite character. And I imagine my two cats saying this all the time now.

All in all:

MR: Enjoyable.

V&T: I enjoyed this one too, although I have to admit I didn’t love it as much as the first two.

PLOT:

MR: The final book in the Iron King series left off where the second one ended. It took a direction which I really didn't see coming. For some reason, I thought that it was going to be mostly about Ash and Megan in the human world. However, they quickly return to Faery in order to save it from the infiltration of the Iron Fey.

I thought the end was interesting and also a bit of a surprise.

However, The Iron Queen left me a little frustrated. I think some of it has to do with some of the characters and some of it was my expectations. I thought that certain plot points would have more impact and I also felt that the plotline was too similar to other stories I’ve read before.

V&T: There wasn’t as much magic for me in this one. I think it’s due in part to so much of the story taking place in The Iron Kingdom. I used to play World of Warcraft, which is a visually AMAZING game. There’s this one area in the game called Ironforge and I used to hate having to go there for quests because everything was so…well, iron and forges and steam and mechanical monsters and it held no appeal to me. I preferred the lands where the scenery was beautiful and breathtaking…it was much more fun to play there. And it was much more fun to read about the parts of The NeverNever that were beautiful and breathtaking as well.

The ending was a surprise for me too, but I did find it satisfying.

I really expected more of the story to take place in the mortal world as well. Since the world of Faery depends on the dreams and beliefs of mortal man and that’s why the Iron Fey came into existence, I thought something would be done in the mortal realm to rekindle man’s reverence for nature and not just technology. Or at the very least that something would be said about people caring about the environment more now and how that’s helping the Wyldewood survive. I just didn’t get how this could be a battle fought entirely in the land of Faery.

MR: Yeah, I guess it seemed like the Iron Kingdom almost had more in common with our world, because we are so dependent and immersed in all things iron and technological. I think you have a great point being that is how the Iron Fey came into existence in the first place. The book did stress that if Faery fell apart the human world would not be far behind. So I guess one of the ideas of this trilogy is that technology in the human world will not cease, so the NeverNever in Faery, which is purely magical, has to find a compromise with the Iron Kingdom and vice versa.

V&T: I’m really hoping to see more of how that plays out in the mortal realm in the next book!

MR: My hope is that she’ll include some of that.

CHARACTERS:

MR: What I like best about this book is the relationship between Ash and Megan. It grows more and there are some interesting developments. Megan is more likeable and she takes her responsibility seriously, shows maturity and character. Perhaps it was because she was secure with her relationship with Ash and his feelings for her or maybe it was because she grew up. I looooved Ash in this book. He is still moody and stoic yet we see more glimpses of his character.

I liked Puck less in this book. He is very petulant and he sneered over and over and over. I feel it was a bit overkill. However, he does of course, redeem himself. Again, I loved Grimalkin. Maybe more so in this book. I also liked a few other characters that came to Megan’s aid, like Razor. He reminded me of a hyper, tiny robot. I also liked the Clockmaker and his riddles, but really, I didn’t see what the riddles did to move the plot along.

V&T: I know this is gonna put me in the minority, but Ash was my least favorite character. This time around it felt like he was defined solely by his love for Meghan and that made him a little boring for me. I would have liked to see him care about something else in life and be a little more of his own person. Meghan was my favorite character. I really liked her strength, growth, determination and how her values have stayed consistent throughout the trilogy.

Ok, I’m not gonna say anything more about Ash, I don’t want anyone lobbing any virtual tomatoes my way! I completely agree with Midnyte about Puck. I was always a team Puck girl myself but I didn’t really care for him much for the majority of this book. “Petulant” is the PERFECT way to describe him!

MR: Hmm. That is an interesting point about Ash and I can definitely see how you would get that. But on the other hand, she was his world at that point. He had made his choice of true love over duty. His family didn’t give him what Megan did. I also felt I saw some redemption in him. He loved someone once before and he made the decision that he was going to do everything he could to keep the love he found again. He revealed other past actions to Megan so she could understand the kind of person he is or rather the person he was. Yes, he stepped up to defend Faery because he was following Megan’s lead, but I do feel he contributed his own passion to the battle because he wanted to save Faery as much as she did.

V&T: And here is where we agree to disagree! Ok, so I DO agree that Meghan was his world at that point but I just don’t like it when characters do that. And I think it would have to drive Meghan crazy at some point. Give her 20 years. She’ll be begging him to go get a beer with Puck…

Speaking of which, I have to add that I’m really hoping there will be a lot of Ash/Puck interaction in The Iron Knight. I love their moments together and their friendship/rivalry.

MR: Ha. That made me laugh. Yes, I do agree that a man who is so devoted to you can get…tedious? Annoying? But it just didn’t bother me that much. Perhaps because I felt his personality shone through. And yes, I think Ash and Puck are a great foil for each other! Their relationship is almost a microcosm of the Fey world and the precarious balance that exists there. Summer vs. Winter. Can’t live with each other, can’t live without each other!

WRITING:

MR: I also like the contemplative tone of this book. Megan wonders what the future holds for her, what will become of Ash if he stays in the mortal realm, if their relationship can really survive. She thinks about people and their stories and even asks herself at one point, “I wonder what my ending will be?”

This is just one of my quirky pet peeves, but I do wish the book didn’t reference popular culture movies for descriptions. Instead of telling me that things were like Lord of the Rings, The Terminator and Star Trek, just describe it…or leave it out.

I did love the descriptions. I also like how the author used more Celtic lore in this book, with references to Summer Magic and Fomorians.

V&T: I loved the descriptions as well, that’s really one of my favorite aspects of Kagawa’s writing. There were many scenes that played out like a movie in my head and were downright epic.

FINAL VERDICT:

MR: Even if you didn’t read the first two, I think someone would still enjoy The Iron Queen. The ending was bittersweet but hopeful.

V&T: All in all, a solid third installment in the Iron Fey series. I’m looking forward to The Iron Knight and to finding out how everything wraps up!

MR: Me too!

MR: 3 3/4 out of 5 stars.V&T: 4 out of 5 stars.

One thing I love more than discussing books is discussing books with other book lovers. Hearing other points of view, insights and opinions is exciting and fascinating to me. One of my favorite blogs is Vampires and Tofu because of Angie's perceptive posts. I hope to have more discussions with her in the future.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

1. To celebrate that I actually finished one of my own picks for my Dusty Volumes Challenge, Dracula, I held a surprise contest. Each Dusty Volumes participant was entered as of February 16, 2011 and received extra entries for writing a post about the challenge and for displaying the button on their page.

“It’s always just once, isn’t it? The rest…they’re just echoes.” Will (on being in love).

All in all: Fun, scary and I wanted to keep reading.

Synopsis:Peter, Helen and their teenage children, Clara and Rowan, live in an English town. They are an everyday family, averagely dysfunctional, averagely content. But as their children have yet to find out, the Radleys have a devastating secret. ~Goodreads.com

Please note there are some spoilers!

My thoughts: When I saw this book, I immediately thought of “The Hamiltons”, one of my favorite horror movies about a family of vampires trying to blend into and survive in society. The Radleys has the same premise. A family of vampires are trying to live a normal life. The parents are trying so hard that they leave their kids in the dark about what they really are until a tragedy occurs and they can’t hide it any longer.

I absolutely loved this book. It had me experiencing a range of emotions; amusement, tension, empathy and most disconcerting, longing. It’s about choices. It’s about actions. It’s about consequences. I also loved the author’s take on vampires, which are familiar but with fresh ideas too.

At first all the different points of view was a little distracting, but as I continued reading, the story became a movie in my mind. I could see the characters in my head, the street they lived on, their house with the pond in the backyard. All the points of view served to show me the other characters and how they tied in to the big picture.

The chapters were short and powerful. Matt Haig packed a lot of punch in few words and summed up feelings and emotions succinctly. The writing is exquisite, with metaphors and descriptions that are clever, unique and beautiful.

Excerpts from a book called “The Abstainer’s Handbook” were interspersed throughout the novel showing humor and revealing a few things to the reader. First of all that the Radley family is trying to “abstain” and second that there is a whole movement in society of abstaining vampires. I also liked the explanations of physiological symptoms and solutions that abstainers have to face.

The theme that really got me was yearning and longing for the past. In that respect Helen and Peter are like any other married couple that find themselves in a rut. They are struggling to find happiness and peace. However, it goes much deeper than that. “If only he had been a normal human and could stop wanting more.” Peter laments. Peter are you kidding me? These feelings are not exclusive to vampires! Helen yearns for the past, her youth and for fun. (Hey doesn’t everyone?) It’s almost like responsibility is a mask that they are putting on. At one point Helen thinks that adulthood is the “suit of armor over their craving infant souls.” They want to give in to their carnal desires, but they also want to be “good.”

The Radley children, Rowan and Clara, each deal in different ways with their newfound identities. I was a little surprised at how quickly they accepted the truth. For me, it was a bit anti-climactic, but I also wonder if at some level they suspected that they weren’t like everyone else. They’ve had physiological problems and emotions that now make sense. And now, they are feeling self-loathing, fear and also they are finding their own power, just like many teen-agers.

There are so many stories about vampires falling in love and finding acceptance with said loved one. This is about accepting themselves. I couldn’t help but empathize and sympathize with the Radley’s. I wanted them to be happy and healthy and I didn’t want them to abstain anymore.

With the return of Peter’s brother, Will, the past comes back to catch up with them. I don’t want to give away too much, but there were many twists and surprises. The reader finds out about their backstories in flashbacks and memories that are peppered throughout the story. By the end, I saw the whole, horrifying, sad picture. The plot is clever, exciting and strong and holds the intensity all the way through to the end. Even if the vampire element wasn't present, it is still a great story.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

I've heard whispers of Scott Nicholson around the internet, on people's blogs and in the horror fiction community. I've downloaded The Red Church and Ashes on my kindle. (I still have to get to them). I've checked out his website Hauntedcomputer.com and drooled over the cover art on several of his titles. Then one day, Scott contacted me and kindly agreed to do an interview. How cool is that?! I think authors are some of the most fascinating people on the planet. I love to know what they think and *how* they think. After I meet or converse with an author, I think I'm more likely to read their work. My curiosity gets the best of me and I want to glimpse inside their head. So let's peek inside Scott's head with a few questions.

What is your newest project?I recently released two novellas, the mysteryCrime Beat and the paranormal romance mystery Transparent Lovers. Ill soon be releasing the paranormal book Ghost of a Chance with JR Rain and on April 1, I am launching the psychological thrillerLiquid Fear.

You probably wouldn't be able to pick a favorite book that you've written, but can you tell me which one is your "darkest" book, which one you've enjoyed writing the most, which one effected you the most?I’ve written funny stuff likeOctober Girls and a children’s bookIf I Were Your Monster, but many of my works are supernatural or mystery thrillers. I’d have to say the bleakest is Disintegration, and the title pretty much sums up what my life was like at the time!

What is currently on your own bookshelves? I am usually reading non-fiction books, though I like Koontz and King and Elmore Leonard and James Lee Burke. Right now I am reading one of JR Rain’s, The Girl With The Vampire Tattoo, because we’re writing the sequel together, and also reading a book on “The Nazi Doctors,” because I’m fascinated by the way normal people can be swayed to do horrible things, how psychology tricks us and we allow ourselves to be manipulated.

What have you read recently that you've really enjoyed?The last book that was pure fun and had me laughing and thinking was Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn, about a small-time hood with Tourette’s Syndrome.

How did your writing evolve?I started out making little comic books on notebook paper and just kept writing and writing, and pretty soon I had a pretty big pile of it. It’s really just part of who I am, no big deal, but it’s what I do.

You told me that you are now primarily published in e-format. Can you tell me a little bit how that came about and how you like it? Is it more work because you have to keep up with social media or do you feel it is better because of the people you can reach?Paper books are costly and are hard to distribute, and ebooks make it easy to give the reader a good, low price. Plus there’s little overhead for the writer, so it really gets down to a personal transaction between the reader and writer without a thousand people taking money from both. It’s easier in many ways because your audience is sitting there at the computer and you don’t have to convince them to get dressed and drive to the store.

Why scary stories? What attracts you to this genre?We were raised on the Appalachian font-porch storytelling, and often the stories were about ghosts, witches, or creatures. Now I just modernize those old folk tales.

What is your favorite horror movie?It varies, but I like the themes of otherness, like Night of the Living Dead, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and The Thing.

Thanks for the interview!

Thank YOU Scott.

Scott Nicholson is author of 20 books, including The Red Church, Speed Dating with the Dead, and Forever Never Ends. He also created the comics Dirt and Grave Conditions. His web site is http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Favorite quote: “What terrible things there are in the world.” - Mina.
“It’s in trouble and trial that our faith is tested.” - Mina.
“…death has some antidote to it’s own terrors.” - Van Helsing.
“Listen to them - the children of the night. What music they make!” - Dracula.

All in all: Although the journal entries were sometimes very long and overly detailed and I had a few unanswered questions throughout the story, I really loved Dracula. Classically creepy.

Synopsis:A naive young Englishman travels to Transylvania to do business with a client, Count Dracula. After showing his true and terrifying colors, Dracula boards a ship for England in search of new, fresh blood. Unexplained disasters begin to occur in the streets of London before the mystery and the evil doer are finally put to rest. Told in a series of news reports from eyewitness observers to writers of personal diaries, this has a ring of believability that counterbalances nicely with Dracula's too-macabre-to-be-true exploits. ~Amazon.com

My Thoughts: I did it! Finally! After all these years, I read Dracula! It took me a long time for several reasons. First of all, the font is small in the book I own, which made it difficult to read. Then I downloaded it on my Kindle and that was better, but I was also reading other books at the same time. Another reason why it may have taken me so long is the way it is written. In today’s world, we are used to fast paced novels while Dracula is detailed, the writing old fashioned and the dialogue long. The different style, the sometimes plodding pace, the archaic words such as “bestrewed” and “perforce” forced me to slow down, but it also helped me immerse myself in the story.

Stoker never visited Eastern Europe, but within the first few pages it is clear he did his research. The food, the garb and the landscape of Romania are so detailed, that although it is a bit tedious to get through, I really got a feel for the country. I visualized the imposing mountains and their dark shadows. As I read about Jonathan Harker's journey to the castle, I heard foreboding music accompanied by howling in my head. I don’t know if seeing so many movies let me imagine the story better, but it was very vivid in my mind. There is a sense of wonder when you travel to a place where you don’t know the language, but also one of unease. The fact that Harker is a foreigner gave him more distance from his surroundings and made him more vulnerable.

After getting through the first few pages of exposition and Jonathan’s journey to the castle, it got juicy. The novel Dracula is much more messed up and scary than any movie version I’ve seen. I had a preconceived notion because of film and television, but the book is different and I feel like I discovered a new story, or rather learned the true story. When I told people that I just finished Dracula, they exclaimed, “That was a scary book!” I have to agree. There were quite a few OMG, eye-widening, heart pounding moments. Stoker drew out the tension and he created beautiful atmosphere.

Dracula is told in journal entries and letters throughout by Jonathan, Mina, Lucy, Van Helsing and Dr. Seward, creating personal accounts that provides a window not only to their viewpoints but their attitudes, hopes and fears.

I like Dr. Seward a great deal. He is melancholy and thoughtful. His character seems to reflect his difficult, gloomy work and the depressing asylum. Dr. Van Helsing is interesting, eccentric and sweet. He views his friends almost as if they were his own children. (But I couldn’t help but hear Anthony Hopkin's voice when I read his dialogue and journals.) To me, Jonathan was a bit braver than many movie versions and Mina seems to be the glue that holds the group together. Although Quincy and Godalming have no journal entries I still saw their heartbreak, bravery and compassion through the observations of their friends.

Now, onto Dracula himself. Bela Legosi made him iconic and a template for all other Draculas. For all other vampires really. This image changed and morphed and created offshoots of the “friendly” vampire, the “hot” vampire, the self reflecting vampire with a conscience. However, the physical description of Dracula is very different than the handsome brooding men who have portrayed him (although he can change his appearance to fit in more easily to society). Dracula is also much more evil than I expected. He is a sadist. He is cunning. He is diabolical.

My favorite character is Renfield. Poor, crazy, damaged Renfield! He’s being used by Dracula and he is a clue right under the protagonist's noses. I like him because his behaviors are so disturbing and frightening and there is almost no figuring him out. During his short period of lucidity he shows grace and regret, which make him even more tragic. But it is during his spotlights into madness that he is the most compelling.

What struck me the most about Dracula is the friendships. To me, that is the underlying theme. The characters band together to defeat an evil threat, which is the basis for many horror stories. They trust, support and hold on to each other. They are devoted to their cause and in turn devoted to each other’s well being. The loss of Lucy brings them together and binds them. When Mina is in jeopardy, instead of turning from her in fear, they re-double their efforts. And while their first intention is to rid their lives of this enemy, they know they are also saving mankind and are willing to sacrifice their lives for this mission. Their courage and tenacity is inspiring.

It’s been very daunting to write about this novel, because I mean, it’s Dracula. What can I say that hasn’t been said already? There is so much to discuss, analyze and learn about this novel, about the author and how it has influenced our culture. There are essays and books about the book itself! It was fascinating to finally sink my teeth into (ooh that was bad, yeah?) read this classic. I feel as if I have at last been indoctrinated to the mystery, mythos and beauty that is Dracula.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Two book signings in a week? Yup, it’s true. I want to thank Damaris from Good Choice Reading for Tweeting about this event.

This signing took place at The Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY. It is an adorable book store with mouth watering shelves. There were so many great titles displayed. It is also clear that the owner has a wonderful personal relationship with the community.

I sat right near Daniel who right away started to chat with me about books. He pulled Terry Pratchet’s The Wee Free Men off the shelf next to him and recommended it to me. The event then started with a little bag of chocolate for everyone and a few giveaways. The authors described their books, read a passage and talked about their characters. Then they moved onto my favorite topic to hear writers discuss; writing. Here are a few tidbits I found out about these authors and their creative process:

(l-r) Daniel, Cynthia, Sarah, Jen & Shannon

Daniel writes with his sister who lives in Denmark. He is very funny and self deprecating and told us his sister is smarter, but we were stuck with him. He also told us that writing with a partner is twice the work, not half.

Cynthia goes shopping for characters at the mall and open houses and Dracula was the inspiration for her first novel. To my horror, she admits that she writes a draft and deletes the file and then starts over. She claims this is very freeing and allows her to learn from that deleted draft. Another ritual she does is blasting the soundtrack to Xanadu and dancing all over the house. “You must try it!” (To which Daniel replied, “Oh I will!”)

Sarah explained that her book Enchanted Ivy takes place in a college because she sees that as a huge turning point in life and feels that you are not the same person coming out as you were going in. Regarding writing, she told us that she has her first draft planned, but it often goes in different directions than what she originally intended.

When discussing her book, Jen asked, "What would you do if you knew if someone was going to die?" She touched on moral dilemmas and responsibility. She also stated that she knows the beginning, the end and a few things about the middle when she starts her story.

Shannon told us that her book 13 To Life is about two people who are running from two very different things. She got published because her story won a fiction contest on the internet. “Let the characters lead you.” She told everyone, “Just write. No one has to see it.”

Peter’s book sounds interesting to me because it is written as if it is real. He revealed that everything (vampirism, lycanthropy) has a scientific explanation. He also discussed how the book is a parallel to racism, segregation and civil rights. His writing advice: Write like crazy and don’t look back!

Unfortunately, my battery was dying and I didn't get a picture of Peter Moore. (Sorry Peter!) I also can’t read my own chicken scratch and am not sure who said this, but my favorites quotes of the night are: “If you wait for the muses to speak, they’ll stop talking.” And, “Fiction provides a sense of wonder to a jaded world.”

Here are the books I picked up. Some for me and some for future contests.

I want to thank the authors and The Voracious Reader for organizing such a wonderful event!